Published: May 6, 2025
CONGO TOWN – The Executive Director of the National Identification Registry, Andrew Peters, has announced that the agency has begun collaborating with government ministries, agencies, commissions and private institutions following the recent issuance of Executive Order 147 by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai.
In a statement released Monday, May 5, Peters said the registry is working with public institutions to develop regulations and guidelines to ensure compliance with the executive order, which mandates the compulsory enrollment of all citizens and foreign residents. The order also requires the use of National Biometric Identification Cards to access both public and private services throughout Liberia.
Peters praised President Boakai for issuing the directive, calling it a clear sign of the president’s commitment to the registry’s statutory mandate.
“The management of the National Identification Registry is thrilled by President Boakai’s recognition of the NIR and his continued support for the implementation of our mandate,” he said.
He noted that in his first State of the Nation address on Jan. 29, 2024, President Boakai emphasized the NIR’s role in the peaceful conduct of national elections and reiterated his administration’s commitment to strengthening the registry’s capacity to collect comprehensive biodata to support institutions including the National Elections Commission.
“To ensure successful implementation of the executive order and strengthen stakeholder collaboration, the NIR is actively engaging ministries, agencies, commissions and private institutions to develop effective compliance guidelines,” Peters said.
He described the executive order as both a challenge and an opportunity and affirmed the registry’s readiness to deliver on its obligations.
To support mass enrollment, Peters announced that mobile registration teams will be dispatched to various government offices. He said this effort is part of the government’s broader strategy to improve accountability and digital security across public entities.
He also cited the registry’s 2024 partnership with the Civil Service Agency, which led to the removal of ghost names from government payrolls through the National Biometric Identification System—an initiative that reportedly saved the government $2.5 million.
Peters pointed to similar identification initiatives across the continent:
“Uganda saved about $7 million in one year by using a national identification database to verify civil servants’ identities,” he said. “Likewise, Malawi saved $44 million by merging its voter registration and national ID systems.”
He said national ID systems improve efficiency by reducing fraud, eliminating ghost beneficiaries, and cutting administrative costs linked to voter verification and other services. They also reduce the risk of individuals assuming multiple identities—practices that facilitate money laundering, terrorism financing and tax evasion.
Peters disclosed that the registry had recently received requests from the Judiciary and the Ministry of State for Presidential Affairs to deploy mobile enrollment teams to the Temple of Justice and the Executive Mansion, respectively, to register staff.
“Our mobile teams are available, and we have the capacity,” he said. “Just communicate with us and we’ll be at your service.”
The NIR is mandated to design, produce and issue biometric ID cards embedded with a unique identifying number, which will serve as a government-approved social security number. The number will be used for birth and death registrations, passports, immigration documents, banking, driver’s licenses, social security benefits and other identification services. All cards will feature robust security measures to prevent duplication and fraud.
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